The Engagement
by StoryNeverTold
Summary: (Totally unoriginal title) A one-shot about what would have happened if Ste hadn't witnessed Brendan and Kevin hugging and actually carried out his plans for the night. Stendan fluff.


**A/N: Basically, this is how I would've written the end of the 'will ya marry me' episode if I wrote for hollyoaks. It's kind of unoriginal but I had a muse and therefore this happened. I hope you enjoy it. Dedicated to everyone who wanted Stendan to actually get married. **

Steven smiled at Brendan as he walked back into the deli, shrugging his coat off and throwing it down on the sofa beside the door. The deli was almost spotlessly clean and the faint smell of baking bread was lingering in the air; just like any deli should smell like, right? Brendan shoved his hands into his pockets and walked over to where his lover was standing, behind the counter, face and hair dusted lightly with flour from their fight earlier and eyes showing a mild tiredness behind them, yet an almost puppy –like excitement.

"Sorry I took so long…" Brendan drawled as he leaned against the counter, looking at Steven. "Kevin broke a tap. Then he smashed a glass. Then one of his family members tragically died…"

Steven laughed to himself as he dusted his hands off on his apron. "Sounds, um, eventful…" He grinned and turned to face Brendan, folding his arms. "Sure he wasn't just tryin' to get ya to stick around?"

Brendan shrugged. Steven was probably right. The young barman had been flirting with him ever since his return to the village. "Ye think he wants me around that badly? Can't bear to be away from me or something…?" He smiled slightly. "Am I that irresistible?"

Steven frowned a bit and tutted, his face portraying hints of mild jealously. "Nah, he's obviously got the hots for ya…"

"Can ye blame him?" He studied Steven carefully and laughed, stealing an olive from the dishes on the side and eating it. "Ye're not jealous, are ye?"

"No. Course not." Steven replied, pouting. If there was one thing Steven Hay was not good at, it was hiding when he was bothered by something. He shifted a bit and played with the edge of his apron. "I'm just sayin'. He's a good looking barman… I wouldn't blame ya if ya thought he was…y'know…"

"Fuckable?" Brendan raised his eyebrows and Steven tutted in distaste.

"Alright, alright. Ya didn't have to…" Steven sighed and placed his hands on the counter, looking at Brendan honestly. "It's just… that's how we met, weren't it? I were your little scally barman and stuff… It's how ya got to like me, init?"

"Ye think I'm gonna be with him the way I was with ye?" Brendan smiled to himself and watched the younger man's expression. The shy distaste, the embarrassed and bashful protests. The fact he was as jealous as hell but too embarrassed to admit it.

"I dunno." Steven looked up at Brendan and smiled slightly, the realisation of how ridiculous he was being slowly settling on him. "I thought young scally barmen were like your kink or summet…"

Brendan laughed softly and stepped closer to the Mancunian, studying him, letting his eyes trail down to his lips as he hooked a hand in Steven's apron and pulled him closer. "It used to be… now I think it's young ex-scally deli owners…" He leaned in.

Steven gently pulled back teasingly and shot Brendan a look of mock-surprise. "Ya talkin' about Doug?!"

Brendan shook his head, smiling slightly. Steven thought he was funny, eh..? "Shut up, ye eejit."

And before Brendan even gave him a chance to respond, his mouth was on Steven's and they were kissing. Deeply, slowly. Steven's arms sliding around his waist, Brendan's fingers gently gripping the hairs on the back of Steven's neck. Their tongues were just meeting as the noise of the timer rang through the deli. Steven pulled back and looked at Brendan through thick lashes and wet his lips.

"Sorry…" He laughed and pulled out of Brendan's grip. He watched as Steven went to the oven and admired him as he bent over to pull the tray of baking bread out of the oven. Brendan kept his eyes on him as he placed them on the side and kept his back to him, fiddling around with whatever was on the tray. He saw Steven freeze a bi t and then shift.

"Everything okay?" Brendan asked cautiously.

"Yeah, yeah." Steven replied shakily. "I was just….thinking about summet today. It were probably stupid."

"Hey, no, go on…" Brendan raised his eyebrows and kept his gaze focused on Steven's back.

"Did ya mean what ya said before?" Steven sighed after a pause. Brendan blinked. What had he said? "About…. Us being an old married couple not being so bad…"

"Yeah, well…" Brendan smiled. Was Steven hinting something? "I was, uhm, joking…." He didn't want to come across as an idiot, did he? Didn't want Steven to think he was totally serious and scare him away. The last thing he wanted was Steven thinking Brendan was trying to push Steven into something super-serious and forcing him to leave his fun and youth behind. He wasn't. He didn't wanna come across as clingy and needy…

"Joking? Oh, yeah…" Steven sounded almost disappointed. If he was, he hid it well. "Us, married….how daft would that be?" He laughed half-heartedly as he threw something in the bin.

"What was that?" Brendan asked, watching the younger man cautiously. Steven had thrown something in the bin; something obviously linked to whatever he was building himself up to say. Brendan was intrigued and he certainly didn't like the fact that Steven was obviously keeping something from him.

"It were nothin'…." Steven replied bluntly, his bitterness lacing his voice ever so slightly. So Steven was pissed off…. Interesting.

"Come on, Steven…" Brendan approached the bin, trying to discover whatever it was that Steven had thrown in there.

"I said it was nothing, didn't I?!" Steven snapped at him and Brendan blinked as he felt the Mancunian's hands pushing him forcefully away. "Just leave it!"

Wow, Steven was really sensitive, Brendan noted. He wasn't sure what had suddenly gotten into the younger man, but it was obviously something. Did Brendan say something that had riled his lover? Did he do something wrong? And then it hit him. _I was, uhm, joking…_

He had said he was joking. But Steven wasn't.

"Steven, if ye…" He began, shakily, but then he stopped. Steven was already a bit teary and he wiped his eyes with his hands, smearing flour all over his cheeks.

"Right, do ya really wanna know?" Steven snapped bitterly, blinking tears away. "This… this is what I threw away."

He dug into the bin and showed Brendan. In the palm of his hand was a little 'diamond' ring, made out of bread. It would have made a good wedding ring… Steven was going to propose. He was going to ask Brendan to marry him and being the tosser that he was, Brendan had pretended he had no interest in getting married before Steven even had a chance to pop the question. Brendan felt sick. Steven was actually going to ask.

"Ye were g…." He didn't know what to say.

"Yeah." Steven nodded, a tear slipping down his cheek. "I were gonna ask ya to marry me, but that's just a joke to you, init?" He laughed bitterly as he crumbled the bread in his hands, wiping away the tear, smearing more flour on his face.

"St…" He was speechless. Steven wanted to marry him.

"Nah, it's just me being stupid old Ste again, init?" Steven shook his head. "I actually thought, for once…yanno, something good might be comin' your way, Ste. I actually thought ya might wanna marry me, but that was just stupid, weren't it? You're Brendan Brady, what chance have I got of ever actually being able to settle down and have a normal relati—"

Brendan placed a finger on Steven's lips to silence him. He was shit with words, but he knew for a fact that his looks and gestures gave away everything he wanted to say. He smiled softly and reached up to brush the flour off Steven's cheek, studying his saddened expression. The younger man just stared at him and he stared back, studying every tiny thought rushing behind those deep blue eyes. Steven was the man he wanted to be with. And yeah, maybe he meant what he said before. Being married to him wouldn't be so bad.

"Ye didn't even ask me…" Brendan finally spoke, swallowing hard.

"What…?"

"Ye're ranting about how you're never going to get me to settle down…but ye didn't even ask me…" Brendan told him, slowly, trying to punctuate his words, trying to make himself make sense. He was never much of a talker and opening up wasn't really his thing. Not at all. But he wanted to make his words count, just this once. Just like he had tried on the bridge in Dublin. He wanted Steven to _get it. _

"Am I meant to…" Steven trailed off and just stared back at Brendan. He tried to look calm and stable but he knew he looked as scared as fuck in front of the younger man. He just smiled a little in reply.

"Okay, um…" Steven inhaled. "I dunno what I'm meant to say… I threw away the bread and everything…"

"It's okay…. I can do without…"

"Okay, okay, um…." Steven swallowed and wet his lips. "Brendan Brady…?"

"Yes, Steven?" Brendan replied quickly.

"Shut up, I'm trying to do this…." Steven smiled a bit. "Brendan Brady, will ya marry me….?"

Brendan paused. He told himself to say yes. He screamed at himself to say yes but no words would come out. He couldn't speak, he couldn't even nod. It was just over 2 years ago that he had arrived in the village, a married homophobe, with no willingness to admit his overwhelming urge to fuck good looking men. Then he had met Steven, the man who he had changed for. The man who he couldn't help but change because of. The only man he had ever loved. The only man he wanted to love. And here he was, being proposed to by that very man. Steven had changed his life. He could give him the future he deserved.

"Okay…"

"Wait, really…?" Steven frowned.

"Yes."

"What are sayin…?" Steven looked almost baffled, like he couldn't believe it.

"Yes." Brendan laughed. "I'll marry ye, Steven Hay."

"Are ya really being serious?!" Steven grinned and Brendan couldn't help but think that he had made the right choice. Steven was happy, and when Steven was happy, it was infectious. It ran right through the core of Brendan.

"Yeah, I'm being serious…." And before he could say any more, Steven's arms were around him and his lips pressed against his own. They kissed deeply, their tongues meeting desperately, both of them moaning before the younger man finally broke the kiss, laughing.

"I can't believe it…." He giggled. "We're engaged!"

"Yes, we are…" Brendan nodded, pushing himself against Steven, grinding them together. "Now shut up…"

And he captured Steven's mouth in his own again.

-OXO-

**Hope it wasn't too fluffy…**


End file.
